Yankees tried to trade for Denard Span last July
This from Joel Sherman at the New York Post. It's an interesting tidbit, particularly when he says the Yankees tried to get Span a number of times.
Then Sherman does something laughably Newyorkese by suggesting something that doesn't make any sense:
I thought it might be an interesting trade this spring for the Yanks to obtain Span for Phil Hughes. The Twins will probably need a closer with the likelihood that Joe Nathan is going to be lost for the season, and Hughes showed his value out of the pen last year. In 2011, if Nathan were healthy, Hughes could move back to the rotation.
Yes Joel, that's right. The Twins would trade their only center fielder for a closer. An unproven closer. Seriously?
Sigh. At least the Twins are smarter than Sherman.
4 months ago
Jesse
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In Sherman's limited defense
When I was a kid, I thought it would be cool if the Twins could trade Dave Goltz for Mike Schmidt. The Twins needed a 3B (no offense to Mike Cubbage), and the Phillies needed somebody from the Twins roster, because that’s how trades work. Then I went to the swimming pool and forgot all about it.
The Twins needed a 3B?
I think I know the end of that story…
I dunno
It’s not a bad trade, if you think of Hughes as a young pitcher with immense talent, which he is. Of course you make him a starter, not a closer, and you can’t do it without anyone to play center field, but the talent isn’t unequal.
by Eric in Madison on Mar 16, 2010 2:53 PM EDT reply actions
My preference is to keep phrases like
“incredibly stupid” to things that are, in fact, incredibly stupid, and game threads.
This is just not a good fit anymore. And it’s not like the article is really lobbying hard for the deal; frankly he presents it as a passing thought based on last season’s interest.
by Eric in Madison on Mar 16, 2010 5:39 PM EDT up reply actions
You're probably right.
I have a tendency to over-react when it comes to the New York media saying something dumb. Which it is, it’s a dumb idea. It’s the kind of passing thought you share with your friends over a beer in a bar before they tell you why it’s a bad idea, it’s not something I expect to be printed by a guy like Sherman.
yeah
That 24 year old pitcher with a 8.3 K/9 rate and sub 4.00 FIP. What a bum.
As has been said, of course this is stupid as we are contenders and Span is an integral part of that contention. But talent wise its probably fair.
by Milt on Tilt on Mar 16, 2010 3:15 PM EDT up reply actions
new rule at TF
CF is a deadzone, any balls hit there are foul balls.
Each team gets an extra infielder in place of the CFer.
Now we can make the trade. Hughes isn’t bad but Span’s the man and our only CFer…so no trade.
I bet this trade rumor is going to make Span mad, and other teams don’t like him when he’s mad…
Target Field Rule
What would happen if the Target Field rule results in a home run? I know, have TC Bear run to Stephen Colbert and hug him.
Am I the only one who's a little creeped out by TC?
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
No.
His eyes are empty…soulless.
RonGarde: Target Field is going to be exactly like Progressive Field, except you'll have a chance to die of frostbite in the middle of July
Hence the parade headless virgin zombies walking out of the Dome
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
THis is the same guy who said the Yankees could get Mauer and Morneau at the same time
“Mauer can catch and the Yankees could move Posada to DH.”
UM, so where does Morneau play? Instead of Teixeira?
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
Wow
As a Yankees fan people assume you’re stupid but then when you open your mouth and say something we dont assume anymore.
I love Twins Baseball and Minnesota Vikings Football.
by Percy Harvin My Fav! on Mar 16, 2010 4:10 PM EDT reply actions
Glad this didn't happen.
He is more important to the Twins than he would be to the Yanks. Denard does not seem like the kind of guy who would enjoy playing in NY anyway.
And why do they need Span if they have Granderson?
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
Well they didn't have Granderson at the time.
And he has more upside, I’d think.
RonGarde: Target Field is going to be exactly like Progressive Field, except you'll have a chance to die of frostbite in the middle of July
He suggested this after Nathan was hurt, hence, after they signed Granderson
This is the absurdity of Yankee “reporting”. They assume they can get any player regardless of availability or even whether the Yankees have room for the player. It reminds me of an Oninon story:
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
Hmm, didn't post the link
Yankees assure penenat by signing every player in Major League Baseball
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
Great Laugh
I really mean it. I was laughing so much that I almost died. In reality, the Yankees really did win the Pennant. They just ran into Josh Beckett.
Come on
He specifically said that it won’t happen after the Span extension. He said he heard they tried to get him last summer, so it occurred to him after Nathan was hurt that something might be possible.
Does it make perfect sense for all parties? No. But it’s completely reasonable as far as talent is concerned.
You know, just because it’s the New York press doesn’t automatically make everything they write stupid.
by Eric in Madison on Mar 16, 2010 4:33 PM EDT up reply actions
I was referring to this quote
I thought it might be an interesting trade this spring for the Yanks to obtain Span for Phil Hughes. The Twins will probably need a closer with the likelihood that Joe Nathan is going to be lost for the season, and Hughes showed his value out of the pen last year. In 2011, if Nathan were healthy, Hughes could move back to the rotation.
I was thinking it was not reasonable because there’s no room for Span with Granderson in center. But I suppose one could play left.
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
True, one could play left
And that person is Ben Revere for the Twins.
Not sure which universe I prefer
But one in which we would have Gomez and Hughes instead of Span and Hardy is at least intriguing.
Yeah, I was going to say
If they had made that offer last summer or right after the season, I would have been tempted. I think I’m happier the way it turned out, because of the utter black hole at shortstop, but it’s an interesting question.
by Eric in Madison on Mar 16, 2010 4:43 PM EDT up reply actions
No way
Span + Hardy >>> Gomez + Hughes
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
???
They wouldn’t give up Hughes for Santana, but they’d give him up for Span?
by diehardtwinsfan on Mar 16, 2010 4:58 PM EDT reply actions
did everyone forget?
That he is an excellent lead off hitter as well.. Not the easiest of tasks to find. So the only center fielder and a lead off guy.
regards,
Brian
It must have been hugely gratifying for the Twins
to be turning down Yankees offers for Span after he went from highly questioned 1st-round pick to seeming prospect bust.
Hughes has the potential to match Span’s production, but as a pitcher I’d call it a much dicier prospect. We know what Span is and he fits perfectly on the team.
I wouldn’t mind Hughes though. Maybe the Yankees want Ramos since that psuedo-catcher Montero isn’t likely to stick behind the plate.
I wouldn't trade Span for the entire Yankees bullpen.
Okay, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch…
But I don’t think a relief pitcher of any caliber can be as valuable as a centerfielder of Span caliber. Span’s defense is superb, despite what UZR thinks, and he’s one of the top 5 leadoff hitters in the majors. If Hughes becomes a starter with sustained success equivalent to Jake Peavy, than this trade would have made sense, but the chance of Phil Hughes becoming that is the same chance of Nick Punto becoming Mike Schmidt.
Come on! Hughes is really, really good.
Hughes has a much better chance of becoming Jake Peavy than Punto does of becoming Mike Schmidt! (Of course, Hughes has a better chance of becoming Mike Schmidt than Punto does, too.)
But seriousy: 86 innings, 96 K, 28 BB, 1.12 ERA, 3.03 ERA — In my book, Hughes is one of the best young pitchers in the league. He will very likely be starting for the World Series champs this year — Joba should go to the pen before him — and if he doesn’t he will probably be the best set up man in the league (after Neshek, of course).
People forget what a hot prospect Hughes was before he got hurt. Well he’s healthy now, and really, what more do you want from a young pitcher than what he did last year? With that K rate Hughes would instantly be the best reliever on the Twins and probably would be the front runner for closer.
I still probably wouldn’t trade Span for him, for the reason Jesse cites. But if Revere kept looking good in spring training, this would not be that crazy a deal at all. Right now the Yankees are looking at starting Brett Gardner in left field; they would love to upgrade. Either Granderson or Span would upgrade that position significantly. If the Yanks didn’t go for this it wouldn’t be because they already have Granderson, it would be because they think too highly of Hughes.
Hughes is very good, but not for Span
I love trade speculation. But it has to make sense. The talent has to be relatively equal. And the teams have to have complementary needs. The paradigm case is Gomez for Hardy: We had two center fielders and no shortstop, they had two shortstops and no center fielder. The talent was relatively equal, so the deal made tons of sense for both teams.
But it makes no sense for the Twins to trade two center fielders in one offseason. The Twins could use a closer. And Hughes would be a great one. But the Twins wouldn’t even consider trading Span when the only center fielder left in the system hasn’t played above A ball.
Also, the Twins have really struggled to fill the lead-off role. Stewart was pretty good at it. Castillo was pretty good at it. But neither was a pure lead-off hitter when we had them. Span is the first pure lead-off guy the Twins have had in recent memory. I’d have to go back to Carew to find a better one. That is not something you just lightly trade away for a one-year fix.
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
I guess Knoblauch was better
But Span is on the path to be at least as good a lead-off hitter.
"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot
I agree
I know what you mean and I agree. Span is the last person the Twins would offer for a closer, given the roles he fills. I also agree with DJ that Hughes has more value in the rotation, making him a doubly unlikely trade target for a closer. I wouldn’t have answered at all except to respond to the comment about how Hughes has as good a chance to be Peavy as Punto has to be Schmidt. It’s one thing to acknowledge a bad need-for-need match. It’s another to denigrate the players involved. It might not be a plausible trade, but not because Hughes isn’t a good player. He’s very, very good. Not so good the Twins won’t kick his ass in the playoffs this year, but good enough to pitch in the playoffs for the (soon to be former) world champions.
Hmm...
Isn’t he out of the Yankee’s price range? (too low)
by MilkAndCookiesForGardyclaus on Mar 16, 2010 9:40 PM EDT reply actions
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